


Lie to Me

by cfo_absolute



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-29 00:37:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21401263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cfo_absolute/pseuds/cfo_absolute
Summary: After everything, Lena never imagined that Kara would lie to her too. And there's only so much betrayal one woman can handle...
Relationships: Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	Lie to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Alt. path for Lena discovering Kara's identity at the end of S4. It's real angsty. Enjoy!

Kara Danvers is Supergirl.

Those were Lex’s last words as he’d sat, bleeding from two bullet holes in his chest. Lena wished that she’d shot him in the head instead and shut him up before he had the chance to utter those four, devastating words. She wished she’d killed him before those words had a chance to burrow into her mind and attach themselves to her every waking thought. Kara Danvers is Supergirl.

Her best friend. A hero. A liar.

Lena hoped that Kara would confess the next time they saw each other. After all the betrayal Lena had faced with Lex… Surely, Kara wouldn’t continue to lie to her. But the hours ticked by at their weekly game night and nothing. There was no request to speak in private, no apology, no confession. Lena’s heart broke.

As everyone gathered their things to leave, it wasn’t Kara, but the other Danvers sister that approached Lena. “Hey, is everything okay?” Alex asked.

Lena smiled with as much conviction as she could muster. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Alex watched Lena carefully for a moment. “You’ve just been really quiet. I wanted to make sure you were okay. With everything that happened with Lex-”

“I’m fine.” Lena said, immediately feeling as though that wasn’t convincing enough. “I’m just trying to process everything, you know?”

Alex nodded as if she was somewhat assured. “If you need anything, we’re all here for you. Me, Kara, we’re all here.”

Lena flinched at Kara’s name. She silently scolded herself. She knew better than to let her emotions show like that. She thanked Alex and hurried out the door before anyone else could speak to her.

Days went by. Then weeks. Every time Lena saw Kara she hoped that would be the day she finally got the truth. And every time Lena would leave the coffee date, lunch, or dinner feeling more foolish and despondent than before.

Lena thought about ripping the bandaid off and revealing the truth herself. But Kara would only deny it. Lena was sure of that. They’d been best friends for years and if Kara hadn’t come clean by now, Lena doubted that she ever would. Lena decided to save herself the heartbreak of Kara lying to her face. 

“Ms. Luthor, Kara Danvers is here to see you.” The voice of Lena’s AI assistant emanated from a speaker on Lena’s desk. Machines had been easier to trust lately. 

It was late, but Lena’s office was still brightly lit as she worked tirelessly. Her dazzling white desk was hidden under a chaotic collection of memos and research. 

“Please inform Ms. Danvers that I’m in a meeting and cannot see her.”

“You schedule indicates that you are currently free. Would you like me to lie, Ms. Luthor?” The AI said.

The program was learning, but not fast enough. “Yes, I would like you to lie.” Lena said.

“Yes, Ms. Luthor.”

Lena hadn’t seen Kara in weeks. The few times Lena had answered Kara’s calls, the conversation always ended with Lena making an excuse as to why she couldn’t meet. In reality, Lena just couldn’t stand the sight of Kara anymore. Or Alex. Or any of her so called friends. They had all been a part of the betrayal. They’d all played her for a fool. She didn’t need them anymore.

After weeks of successfully avoiding Kara and everyone else, Lena was disappointed to come into her office one morning to find herself face to face with Supergirl.

“I believe this would qualify as breaking and entering, Supergirl.” Lena’s tone suggested a joke, but inside she was alight with anger, barely holding back from screaming  _ I know it’s you, Kara. You fucking liar! _

Supergirl stood behind Lena’s massive desk, hands on her hips, the hero stance she’d learned from her sister. Sunlight streamed in from the glass wall behind her, making her blonde hair seem to shine. “I don’t mean to intrude, Ms. Luthor,” She said. “Kara Danvers asked me to check on you.”

Lena almost laughed. “Did she?” She brushed past Supergirl to set the files and purse she’d been carrying down on her desk.

“She told me she’s been having a hard time getting ahold of you.” Supergirl said. “With everything that happened I- She just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Lena said nothing. 

“She’s worried about you.”

Was that sadness Lena heard creeping into the hero’s ordinarily powerful voice? Good. “Well, tell  _ Kara _ ,” Lena stressed the name a bit more than she needed to. She couldn’t help it. “That I’ve been busy. I’ll call her when I can.”

Lena couldn’t tell from the look on Kara- Supergirl’s face if she believed her or not, but there was a part of Lena, the infuriated part, that didn’t care. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a board meeting to prepare for.”

Lena didn’t watch Supergirl leave, but she heard the familiar flap of the cape as Supergirl launched herself into the air from the balcony outside Lena’s office.

For the rest of the day, Lena found herself thinking that maybe Lex was right in his own twisted, evil way. Maybe Kryptonians simply were just selfish and spoiled from getting their way simply because they were stronger than everyone else. Maybe Lex wasn’t so far off.

If Lena didn’t have friends anymore, at least she had her work. It had always been an obsession for her, but this time when Lena’s experiments took her across the treacherous line of what was ethical, what was  _ right _ , there was no one to pull her back.

If Kara could lie about who she was, then Supergirl could lie about anything. That’s what Lena told herself over and over. If Supergirl, the self-proclaimed beacon of truth and justice, could lie, then who knows what else she was capable of. Lena, and the rest of humanity deserved to be able to protect themselves. That’s what Lena told herself.

The Harun-El serum, made from black kryptonite, was the best chance at that protection. Lena knew it was reckless to continue developing a serum that could give someone,  _ anyone _ superpowers. Yes, it had almost killed Ben Lockwood. And yes, it had turned Lex into more of a homicidal maniac than he already was, but Lena was convinced she could make it better, safer. During all the late nights working in the lab, that became her mantra. Better, safer, better, safer.

One particularly late night, Lena left her lab, yawning profusely and ready for a shower. She rubbed her eyes with one hand as she used the other to toss two black cases onto the passenger seat of her beloved black Mercedes. One case held an assortment of files stuffed with research, data, and the like. The other held three syringes full of the latest formulation of Harun-El. It never left Lena’s side.

The pristine streets of National City were empty as Lena drove home. With a full moon in the sky and lamps lining the road, the streets were well lit, making their emptiness all the more noticeable. 

The traffic light turned red faster than it should have. Or maybe Lena had dozed off for just a moment. A truck came barrelling through, hitting Lena with enough force to send her car flying into the streetlamp on the other side of the intersection. Lena’s vision went black.

When she came to she found herself trapped in the wreckage of her car. Pain seeped through her body, up from her legs, which were crushed beneath what looked like part of the door. Lena couldn’t tell. She took an inventory of her injuries. She was bleeding from her head and most likely concussed. One of her trapped legs was bleeding where a broken bone protruded through her skin. A sharp pain in her side and chest told her a broken rib had punctured a lung. Internal bleeding was likely and coherent thoughts were becoming difficult to form. Lena gave herself three minutes at most before she lost consciousness. Paramedics would most likely make it there in five. Two minutes.

A black case on the floor caught Lena’s eye. The Harun-El. A single moment of thought was all it took for Lena to decide that she didn’t want to risk her life on two minutes. Gritting her teeth, Lena pushed herself up using what remained of her strength and grabbed the case from the floor. Sitting safely inside were the three syringes of untested serum, the only thing that would keep Lena alive long enough for help to arrive. She could extract it from herself once she recovered.

“Lex, if you’re seeing this,” Lena said to no one, certainly not to her dead brother. “There’s no need to say I told you so.” She laughed dryly at her own joke before plunging a needle deep into her thigh. 

In an instant, her body was flush with warmth, the way the summer sun feels on your skin. The pain faded as the Harun-El did it’s work, repairing, healing. Lena grabbed the metal bent over her legs. It gave easily in her hand.

When Lena stood from the wreckage, the twisted black metal gleaming against the pavement, she felt more powerful than she ever had before. Was this what Supergirl felt like? Did she get the same rush of adrenaline when she bent metal with her bare hands?

Lena looked over at the truck that had hit her. The driver was slumped over his steering wheel. Lena focused her now heightened hearing, listening for his heartbeat. There wasn’t one. It was better that way. Lena wouldn’t be forced to play the hero.

The familiar sound of a rustling cape could be heard behind Lena. “Ms. Luthor, are you okay?” Supergirl asked, genuine panic rattling her voice.

“I’m fine.” Lena’s voice was flat. She turned to face Supergirl, who gasped at the sight of Lena’s cold, black eyes.

“Lena, what did you do?”

“I saved myself.” Lena said. There were sirens in the distance. An ambulance. Probably the police too.

Supergirl took a slow step toward Lena. “We need to get you to the DEO. Alex can get the Harun-El out of your system.”

Lena laughed. It was a hollow sound. “And what makes you think I want that,  _ Kara _ ?”

Kara’s jaw dropped.

“That’s right.” Lena walked toward Kara with slow, menacing steps. Broken glass crunched beneath her heels. “I know your dirty little secret. Did you really think you could keep me in the dark?”

Tears welled up in Kara’s eyes as shame washed over her. “Lena, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, it’s much too late for sorries. And now what? You think you can just swoop in and save the day?” Lena said, rage bubbling beneath her skin. “Well, guess what? I don’t need you anymore!”

“This isn’t you talking. I know you.”

“No, you don’t!” Lena screamed. It felt good. “Our entire friendship was built on a lie. How could you possibly know me?”

“We need to get you to the DEO.”

Confronting Kara now, the betrayal felt fresh and new. It felt infuriating. It felt invigorating. She grabbed a hunk of metal from the ground and brandished it in front of her. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Kara stood silent for a moment, listening to the sirens coming closer and the rapid beating of Lena’s heart. She’d never seen Lena so angry. She wanted to believe it was the Harun-El, but she knew it was more than that. “You need to come with me.” Kara pleaded. She struggled to speak through the sobs that threatened to escape with every word. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please.”

Lena tightened her grip on the piece of metal in her hands. “I’m not going  _ anywhere _ with you.”

To anyone watching, it would have looked like nothing more than a blur of color. Kara and Lena moved toward each other at an impossible speed, each intent on subduing the other. But Lena wasn’t used to the speed or the strength. One wrong movement and she drove the piece of metal clean through Kara’s body.

Kara fell to the ground, shocked, blood gushing from where Lena’s weapon had sliced through the emblem on her chest. “Help me, Lena.”

Lena looked down at the dying hero with cold, black eyes. “You’re Supergirl. Help yourself.”


End file.
